The Complete Guide to Using AI in the Retail Industry in Netherlands in 2025

In 2025 Dutch retailers are riding a powerful AI wave: a detailed industry guide reports the Netherlands leads Europe with “95% of organisations running AI programmes” and a surge in daily users, while national statistics show 22.7% of firms with 10+ employees used AI in 2024, highlighting fast but uneven adoption across company sizes (Lleverage 2025 guide: AI automation in the Netherlands, CBS AI Monitor 2024: Increasing use of AI by businesses in the Netherlands).

Retailers are translating that momentum into personalization, dynamic pricing and checkout automation as consumers increasingly use AI while shopping, creating a clear opportunity to run measured pilots that protect privacy and deliver ROI; teams wanting practical, workplace-ready skills can explore the 15-week AI Essentials for Work bootcamp that teaches prompting, tool selection and governance to turn pilots into repeatable practice (AI Essentials for Work 15-week bootcamp syllabus).

Metric	Value	Source
Organisations running AI programmes	95%	Lleverage (2025)
Companies (10+ workers) using AI (2024)	22.7%	CBS AI Monitor 2024
Consumers using AI to shop	37%	Adyen Index 2025

“We take a fundamentally different approach compared to other AI platforms. Rather than focusing on the technology itself, we concentrate on the underlying challenge: enabling business experts to automate their knowledge without getting lost in technical complexity.” - Lleverage CEO

AI matters for Dutch retailers because it's where customer expectations, cost pressure and regulation intersect: with nearly one in six Dutch adults now using AI daily and 95% of organisations running AI programmes, shoppers expect faster, personalised experiences while boards demand measurable ROI (Lleverage 2025 AI automation guide for the Netherlands).

In practical terms that means AI can lift margins through smarter inventory and demand forecasting, boost average order value with dynamic pricing and personalised promotions, and shrink back‑office costs by automating invoice and order processing - the exact use cases already delivering results in Dutch firms.

But adoption is uneven (22.7% of companies with 10+ workers used AI in 2024), so starting with small pilots that prove time saved, error reduction and customer uplifts is essential; pairing those pilots with GDPR‑aware governance helps turn experiments into repeatable, compliant systems supported by national funding and standards work that aim to make trustworthy AI a competitive advantage (CBS AI Monitor 2024 report on AI use in Dutch businesses).

Metric	Value	Source
Organisations running AI programmes	95%	Lleverage (2025)
Companies (10+ workers) using AI (2024)	22.7%	CBS AI Monitor 2024
Europe AI in retail market (2024)	USD 3.73bn	Marketdataforecast (2024)

“We take a fundamentally different approach compared to other AI platforms. Rather than focusing on the technology itself, we concentrate on the underlying challenge: enabling business experts to automate their knowledge without getting lost in technical complexity.” - Lleverage CEO

Top AI use cases for Dutch retailers in 2025 are practical and revenue‑driven: hyper‑personalisation that lifts conversion and loyalty (75% of consumers are more likely to buy from brands that deliver personalised content), smarter product discovery and semantic search that turns browsing into buying, and generative AI for automated product descriptions and localised content so catalogues scale without ballooning costs - all explained in Deloitte's marketing guide and Bluestone PIM's roundup of AI trends (Deloitte Marketing Trends 2025 - Personalisation at Scale, Bluestone PIM AI Trends in Retail 2025 - Automated Content & AI Use Cases).

Behind the scenes, AI demand‑forecasting and real‑time inventory optimisation cut stockouts and markdowns, while dynamic pricing engines protect margins as competitors and local demand shift; omnichannel links that stitch online and in‑store data (CDPs) matter because omnichannel shoppers spend 1.7× more and click‑and‑collect frequently becomes an impulse moment - 44% of pickup customers add extra items, turning logistics into micro‑sales opportunities (Treasure Data 2025 Retail Trends - Omnichannel & CDP Insights).

Responsible AI, governance and GDPR readiness must underpin every pilot so these use cases scale without regulatory or trust setbacks - the real “so what?” is that implemented thoughtfully, AI turns everyday touchpoints into predictable profit drivers rather than one-off experiments.

Metric	Value	Source
Consumers more likely to buy with personalisation	75%	Deloitte Marketing Trends 2025
Omnichannel shoppers spend	1.7×	Treasure Data 2025 Retail Trends
Click‑and‑collect customers who buy extra items	44%	Treasure Data 2025 Retail Trends
AI in retail market (global, 2025)	USD 14.24bn	Bluestone PIM (2025)

“In times of significant change, decision-making can slow down, stifling innovative ideas. To succeed in 2025, we will need the courage and boldness to rise above the noise and distinguish ourselves from the competition.” - Randy Jagt, NL Retail Lead Partner

Dutch retailers should treat AI compliance like a practical checklist: first determine whether the business is a provider, modifier or deployer and classify each system by risk, because prohibited practices have been banned since February 2, 2025 and transparency and GPAI obligations came into force in August 2025 (see the Netherlands AI Act Guide - Government.nl: Netherlands AI Act Guide - Government of the Netherlands (Sept 2025)); next, build an inventory of all AI systems, run DPIAs for high‑risk uses, log activity for traceability, and embed appropriate human oversight so that recruitment or biometric tools don't become a regulatory landmine.

Contracts and procurement must cover data usage, IP, liability and update obligations; retailers putting high‑risk AI into service should be ready to provide technical documentation and, eventually, a declaration of conformity and CE marking where applicable.

Monitor the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens guidance on algorithms, auditing and governance and follow the AP/RDI recommendations on integrated supervision (Dutch Data Protection Authority guidance on AI and the EU AI Act), and remember that enforcement is real - fines can reach tens of millions or a percentage of turnover under the EU regime - so treat governance, DPIAs and vendor clauses as revenue protection, not overhead (EU AI Act penalties and compliance - GT Law briefing).

Milestone / Obligation	Date	Why it matters for retailers
Ban on prohibited AI practices	2 Feb 2025	Immediate stop for manipulative or emotion‑recognition systems
GPAI transparency & obligations	Aug 2, 2025	Providers of general‑purpose models must publish documentation
High‑risk AI obligations (DPIAs, conformity)	Aug 2026	Stricter risk management, logging and possible CE marking
Full application of AI Act	Aug 2027	Complete enforcement and sectoral oversight in effect

The “so what?” is simple: a well‑documented, rights‑respecting pilot can turn omnichannel experimentation into a durable edge instead of a costly regulatory surprise.

Dutch retailers face a clear triangle of risk in 2025: stringent GDPR enforcement, sharp consumer sensitivity about privacy, and fast-moving technology that can magnify mistakes into multimillion‑euro consequences.

Regulatory fallout is real - the Dutch DPA's €290 million penalty against Uber shows how cross‑border transfers and weak safeguards can trigger record fines - and national rules require fast, practical steps such as notifying authorities within 72 hours of a qualifying breach (Dutch government guidance on protection of personal data (business.gov.nl)).

Consumers amplify the risk: surveys show 56% of Dutch adults fear personal data being exposed and 59% worry about online scams, which means a breach can quickly erode trust and sales (Netherlands consumer privacy survey - ProtonVPN (Oct 2024)).

Mitigation should be pragmatic: map data flows and apply data minimisation, run DPIAs on high‑risk systems, appoint or consult a DPO where required, embed encryption and access controls, use SCCs or other safeguards for transfers, and maintain an incident playbook to meet the 72‑hour notification rule; contractual vendor clauses and regular audits close gaps between promises and practice.

Treated as revenue protection instead of overhead, these steps turn regulatory exposure and customer distrust into manageable operational controls that keep omnichannel experiments running and customers buying.

Risk / Metric	Value	Source
Record fine (example)	€290 million	Fisher Phillips - Dutch fine on Uber
Max GDPR administrative fine	Up to €20M or 4% of global turnover	Globig / GDPR guidance
Breach notification window	72 hours	business.gov.nl
Dutch adults worried about personal data exposure	56%	ProtonVPN survey (Oct 2024)

Turn ambition into production with a compact, practical 7‑step roadmap that Dutch retailers can run inside a single fiscal year: 1) target high‑impact, high‑volume processes (think invoice intake, customer service or checkout flows) and prioritise use cases that reduce errors and save time; 2) pick the right approach - AI‑native or Low‑Code platforms that democratise automation so business teams move faster without waiting on scarce data scientists (Compact article: Low-Code AI democratization); 3) pilot small, measure fast - set KPIs like time saved, error reduction and AOV lift and run 4–8 week micro‑experiments; 4) integrate with existing systems and CDPs to keep omnichannel data clean and actionable; 5) bake governance and GDPR readiness into pilots (DPIAs, logging, vendor clauses) so compliance is an enabler not a bottleneck; 6) iterate quickly using lessons from pilots to improve data quality and model prompts; and 7) scale in waves while investing in skills and a Centre of Excellence so wins are repeatable - this approach reflects what Dutch firms are doing today, from government‑backed programs to real cases where automation “eliminated hours of manual data interpretation,” freeing inside sales to focus on customers rather than parsing PDFs and Excel sheets (Lleverage 2025 guide to AI automation in the Netherlands).

The result: controlled pilots that protect privacy, prove ROI and scale into durable advantages.

Step	Action	Source
1. Identify	Choose high‑volume, error‑prone processes	Lleverage (2025)
2. Choose approach	AI‑native or Low‑Code to democratise delivery	Compact (2025)
3. Pilot	Run micro‑experiments with clear KPIs	Publicis Sapient / Lleverage
4. Integrate	Connect CDPs and legacy systems	Lleverage (2025)
5. Govern	DPIAs, logging, vendor clauses, GDPR	Chambers / Government guidance
6. Iterate	Improve data quality, prompts and models	Publicis Sapient
7. Scale	Roll out in waves, build CoE and skills	Compact / AIC4NL

“We take a fundamentally different approach compared to other AI platforms. Rather than focusing on the technology itself, we concentrate on the underlying challenge: enabling business experts to automate their knowledge without getting lost in technical complexity.” - Lleverage CEO

Dutch retailers running AI pilots should treat measurement like a retail science experiment: focus on conversion rate and average transaction value to prove immediate revenue impact, track inventory turnover and sell‑through to show AI is cutting shelf gaps (Morrison's saw a 30% reduction in shelf gaps in one cited example), and monitor customer metrics - CSAT, retention rate and customer lifetime value - to ensure personalisation gains don't erode trust; for media‑driven pilots add viewability, attention and sales uplift / incremental sales so retail media can be held to account.

Equally important for trade and promotions is account profitability and event‑spend ROI to understand whether AI‑driven offers move profitable volume rather than just volume, and tie everything to ROAS and baseline sales to avoid vanity projects.

Practical guides such as the Ringover KPI roundup and IAB Europe's retail‑media measurement Q&A offer concrete metric lists and attribution advice, while Knight Frank's Retail & the Rise of AI underscores that half of retailers already use AI in some form and that measurable efficiency gains (projected industry uplift is large) are the proof points boards will accept - so pick a small set of KPIs, instrument them with clean data, and report the incremental lift the pilot actually delivers (Ringover - Retail KPIs to monitor, IAB Europe - Retail Media Measurement Q&A, Knight Frank - Retail & the rise of AI).

KPI	Why track	Source
Conversion Rate / AOV	Direct revenue impact of personalization & UX changes	Ringover
Inventory Turnover / Sell‑Through	Shows forecasting and stock optimisation benefits	Ringover / Knight Frank
CSAT / Retention / CLV	Ensures AI improves long‑term customer value, not just short wins	Ringover / Visualfabriq
Sales Uplift / Incremental Sales	Attribution of campaign or media impact vs baseline	IAB Europe / Visualfabriq
Account Profitability & Event ROI	Measures trade spend effectiveness and promo profitability	Visualfabriq

“I expect basic media measurement including reach metrics (impressions/footfall); viewability, and engagement metrics (clicks, reactions/shares); video views; and sales attribution metrics.” - Diana Abebrese, IAB Europe Retail Media Committee

When buying AI, Dutch retailers should treat procurement like a trust‑building exercise: demand airtight data governance, clear liability and IP terms, and the right to audit and log model behaviour so a supplier's promise becomes provable practice - especially important in a market where 88% of organisations report using AI and governance gaps still persist (Harnham report on data governance in the Netherlands).

Practical must‑haves include clauses on permitted data uses and retention, subprocessors and cross‑border transfer safeguards (DGA registration and EU trust marks may apply), SLAs for robustness and incident response, and explicit obligations to update models to meet the EU AI Act's lifecycle rules; note the ACM now enforces Data Governance Act registrations and the DGA trust mark pathway for intermediation services (ACM guidance on DGA registration and the EU trust mark).

Insist on conformity evidence for any high‑risk component, contractual audit rights, and termination/hand‑over plans so data and models can be recovered or retired safely - the right procurement terms turn regulatory exposure into a competitive moat rather than a blind spot (Global Legal Insights on AI laws and procurement in the Netherlands).

Checklist Item	Why it matters	Source
Data usage & transfer clauses	Protects GDPR compliance and cross‑border transfers	GlobalLegalInsights / ACM
Audit, logging & explainability rights	Enables traceability and AI Act conformity	GlobalLegalInsights / PwC
DGA registration / EU trust mark (if applicable)	Signals trusted data intermediation under the DGA	ACM
IP, trade secrets & update obligations	Clarifies ownership and continuity for models & code	GlobalLegalInsights

“Data management and data governance are the pillars of a successful AI. Building an AI without them is like building a house without pillars.” - Robin Buitendijk, Harnham

Dutch retailers seeking concrete proof that AI works should look to real local examples: Amsterdam startup Lleverage - which recently raised €3M to scale its “vibe automation” platform - has made automation accessible to non‑technical teams by letting business experts describe processes in natural language and wiring outputs into over 2,000 integrations, enabling firms to reclaim substantial staff time and cut error rates (Lleverage AI automation platform, Lleverage blog post: AI automation in the Netherlands (2025)).

One vivid retail‑friendly case is Koninklijke Dekker - a 140‑year‑old wood company that went from an inside‑sales team “drowning in Excel sheets, PDFs or text emails” to automated order intake that eliminated hours of manual interpretation, tightened data quality across manufacturing and logistics, and freed sales staff to sell rather than key orders.

These are practical, replicable wins for Dutch retail: start with document‑heavy processes (orders, invoices, returns), run a short pilot, measure time‑saved and accuracy, and expand - turning what used to be a paperwork bottleneck into predictable operational uplift and happier, more productive teams.

Case	Problem	Outcome	Source
Koninklijke Dekker	Manual order intake from Excel/PDF/email	Eliminated hours of manual interpretation; improved data quality; faster order processing	Lleverage blog (2025)
Lleverage platform	Hard-to-implement automation for non-technical teams	€3M funding, “vibe automation,” 2,000+ integrations, large time savings	Peak / Lleverage press (2025)

“We take a fundamentally different approach compared to other AI platforms. Rather than focusing on the technology itself, we concentrate on the underlying challenge: enabling business experts to automate their knowledge without getting lost in technical complexity.” - Lleverage CEO

Conclusion: make 2025 the year Dutch retailers move from experiments to durable advantage by treating governance, pilots and skills as a single program. Start by appointing an AI governance lead and central model register, embed DPIAs and explainability standards into every pilot and keep GDPR‑grade controls top of mind - steps explicitly recommended in the Netherlands AI governance playbook (Chambers Artificial Intelligence 2025: Netherlands report).

Use the Dutch regulatory sandboxes to test novel or borderline systems with regulators and capture compliance playbooks that scale across stores and channels (AIC4NL regulatory sandbox pilot - AI for the Netherlands).

Finally, lock in human capability - short, practical upskilling (for example, the 15‑week AI Essentials for Work syllabus) equips frontline and ops teams to write better prompts, spot bias, and turn pilots into measurable ROI (Nucamp AI Essentials for Work syllabus (15-week)).

“so what?”

The so what is simple: a few disciplined pilots backed by governance and trained teams prevent costly compliance surprises and convert promising AI into predictable, repeatable improvements for margins, customer experience and operational resilience - think of it as putting guardrails on a fast, potentially lucrative highway.

Next Step	Why it matters	Source
Appoint AI governance lead & central register	Enables risk classification, traceability and accountability	Chambers Artificial Intelligence 2025: Netherlands report
Run DPIAs and bake GDPR controls into pilots	Reduces legal/enforcement risk and preserves customer trust	Chambers Artificial Intelligence 2025: Netherlands report
Join regulatory sandbox pilots	Tests compliance interpretation with regulators before scaling	AIC4NL regulatory sandbox pilot - AI for the Netherlands
Invest in practical skills training	Turns pilots into repeatable operations and better vendor oversight	Nucamp AI Essentials for Work syllabus (15-week)